WHICH are the best villages within striking distance of Manchester? Well, you probably have your own ideas but this month's Homesearch Magazine has been doing its own research and they have to be more than just a pretty place, scoring points for a school, a shop, a post office and a pub plus the all- important community feel.

Check out the top 12 in the magazine this month and see if you agree.

And if you like the look of them so much you fancy a move, Homesearch can help you there, too, with listings of thousands of properties - including village homes - for sale.

If you think you are paying too much in council tax and home and car insurance, check out a specially-compiled table to see where you could save money.

Homesearch is a joint venture between this newspaper and its sister titles and hundreds of local estate agents and is available, priced é2, in newsagents and supermarkets.